Paddlers make their way across Rollins Pond in summer 2016. (Enterprise photo — Justin A. Levine)

RAY BROOK — The state Department of Environmental Conservation and Adirondack Park Agency are holding joint public comment periods to solicit comments for the Rollins Pond and Golden Beach Campground and Day Use Area unit management plans.

The public is invited to submit input on the draft plans, which will guide future management of the facilities over the next five years and their conformance to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan. Comments will be accepted until Sept. 18.

Draft UMPs and presentation of the draft plans for Rollins Pond and Golden Beach Campgrounds can be viewed and downloaded at www.apa.ny.gov/Mailing/2023/08/StateLand.htm.

Unit management plans are required by the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan for each unit of State land in the Adirondack Park. UMPs integrate the guidelines and criteria of the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan, related legislation, and resource and visitor use information into a single document.

Management goals for both units include:

¯ Administer recreation programs to ensure protection of the natural resources in accordance with Environmental Conservation Law and in conformance to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan;

¯ Provide recreational opportunities for the enjoyment of visitors, and

¯ Enhance economic benefits to local communities.

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Rollins Pond

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Rollins Pond Campground & Day Use Area is located along state Route 30, in the town of Santa Clara in Franklin County. Constructed in 1955, the campground has since expanded from being the overflow to Fish Creek Campground to its own quiet destination on the eastern shore of the 442-acre Rollins Pond. The campground includes 287 campsites, accommodating all equipment from tents to 40-foot RVs, hot showers, flush toilets, a trailer dumping station, a boat launch (25 HP or under), boat and canoe rentals and hiking trails.

The Draft UMP proposes the following management activities:

¯ Replace four comfort stations and add utility sinks at all stations;

¯ Replace the trailer dump station and the caretaker and assistant caretaker cabins;

¯ Rehabilitate roads and construct a bike lane;

¯ Construct additional staff housing;

¯ Improve the boat launch;

¯ Construct additional vehicle parking;

¯ Construct a playground near the shower building;

¯ Develop an accessible trail that will connect to the future Adirondack Rail Trail;

¯ Develop an accessible trail between Fish Creek Pond Campground and Rollins Pond Campground;

¯ Continue campsite restorations

¯ Formalize the process for issuing extended camping permits, and

¯ Reclassification of state lands based on their physical characteristics and ability to withstand use.

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Golden Beach

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Golden Beach Campground & Day Use Area is located along state Route 28, in Raquette Lake in Hamilton County. Development of the campground began in 1929, and it opened to the public in 1931. The campground includes 205 tent and trailer sites, a picnic area with tables and fireplaces, firewood sales, flush toilets, hot showers, a trailer dump station, a recycling center, accessibility features, a sand beach, a swimming area, a bathhouse, a boat launch and hiking trails.

The Draft UMP proposes the following management activities:

¯ Replace former vault toilet building and comfort station 6, add utility sinks to all comfort stations and replace trailer dump station;

¯ Replace shower building and comfort station 1 with single building;

¯ Replace bathhouses in day use area, currently used for storage with a pavilion;

¯ Replace ticket booth;

¯ Rehabilitate campground roads;

¯ Replace trailered boat launch with a hand launch for canoes and kayaks;

¯ Rehabilitate water system and campground sewage system;

¯ Replace 1.1 miles of overhead power lines with underground system;

¯ Continue campsite restorations, and

¯ Reclassification of state lands based on their physical characteristics and ability to withstand use.

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Submitting comments

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Public comments can be submitted by mail or email to the DEC at: Josh Houghton, EPS2 (NR), NYS DEC Bureau of Recreation, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-5253 (email: campinfo@dec.ny.gov).

For public comments to the APA, people are asked to address all written comments related to the proposed UMPs’ conformance to the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan to: Megan Phillips, deputy director planning, Adirondack Park Agency, P.O. Box 99, Ray Brook, NY 12977 (email: SLMP_UMP_Comments@apa.ny.gov). Her phone number is 518-891-4050.

Surveys

In addition, the public can visit the Rollins Pond Campground Survey, www.surveymonkey.com/r/RollinsDraftUMP, and the Golden Beach Campground Survey, www.surveymonkey.com/r/GoldenDraftUMP, to share comments on recreational opportunities. Survey responses will be accepted until Sept. 18.